Weird egg

[AODonnell]

We got a weird egg today with basically no shell? It was from a pullet. I have a flock with older and younger birds so I am feeding starter feed. I read that you cater the feed to the youngest age. Is this correct? Do you think maybe they aren’t getting enough calcium for their eggs? Or is it just because she is young?

 

[AODonnell]

I do have Oyster shells and grit for them as well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The standard way to feed a mixed aged flock where only some are laying is to feed them a low calcium feed like Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, or All-Flock with oyster shell offered on the side. The ones that need the extra calcium for eggshells typically eat enough and the others typically do not eat enough calcium to harm themselves. Occasionally that does not work. A hen may have something wrong with her where she does not have the instincts to do that or there is something wrong with her body so that it does not process the calcium correctly. This is fairly rare but with the huge number of hens owned by the members of this forum you do read about it.

Putting the egg together is a fairly complicated process inside the hen. A pullet just starting to lay sometimes doesn't get it totally correct. That's why you can get some strange eggs when pullets first start laying. You can get soft shelled eggs, no shelled eggs (like yours), double yolked eggs, no yolked eggs, yolk only eggs, scarred or funny looking eggs, or just plain weird eggs. Most pullets correct that process in a few days. If you are still getting those eggs two weeks after she starts get back with us, there is likely something really wrong.

If you can identify which pullet it is you can give her a calcium pill. It will not hurt her. I've never done that but supposedly if you put it in her mouth she will swallow it.

It is not unusual for a hen that has been laying a perfect egg to have an oops and lay a weird egg. If it is a one time or extremely rare thing I don't worry about it, I figure we all deserve an oops every now and then. But if it becomes regular, get back with us. The hen has a problem.

 

[AODonnell]

The standard way to feed a mixed aged flock where only some are laying is to feed them a low calcium feed like Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, or All-Flock with oyster shell offered on the side. The ones that need the extra calcium for eggshells typically eat enough and the others typically do not eat enough calcium to harm themselves. Occasionally that does not work. A hen may have something wrong with her where she does not have the instincts to do that or there is something wrong with her body so that it does not process the calcium correctly. This is fairly rare but with the huge number of hens owned by the members of this forum you do read about it.

Putting the egg together is a fairly complicated process inside the hen. A pullet just starting to lay sometimes doesn't get it totally correct. That's why you can get some strange eggs when pullets first start laying. You can get soft shelled eggs, no shelled eggs (like yours), double yolked eggs, no yolked eggs, yolk only eggs, scarred or funny looking eggs, or just plain weird eggs. Most pullets correct that process in a few days. If you are still getting those eggs two weeks after she starts get back with us, there is likely something really wrong.

If you can identify which pullet it is you can give her a calcium pill. It will not hurt her. I've never done that but supposedly if you put it in her mouth she will swallow it.

It is not unusual for a hen that has been laying a perfect egg to have an oops and lay a weird egg. If it is a one time or extremely rare thing I don't worry about it, I figure we all deserve an oops every now and then. But if it becomes regular, get back with us. The hen has a problem.

Thank you!

 

[C Siena]

The standard way to feed a mixed aged flock where only some are laying is to feed them a low calcium feed like Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, or All-Flock with oyster shell offered on the side. The ones that need the extra calcium for eggshells typically eat enough and the others typically do not eat enough calcium to harm themselves. Occasionally that does not work. A hen may have something wrong with her where she does not have the instincts to do that or there is something wrong with her body so that it does not process the calcium correctly. This is fairly rare but with the huge number of hens owned by the members of this forum you do read about it.

Putting the egg together is a fairly complicated process inside the hen. A pullet just starting to lay sometimes doesn't get it totally correct. That's why you can get some strange eggs when pullets first start laying. You can get soft shelled eggs, no shelled eggs (like yours), double yolked eggs, no yolked eggs, yolk only eggs, scarred or funny looking eggs, or just plain weird eggs. Most pullets correct that process in a few days. If you are still getting those eggs two weeks after she starts get back with us, there is likely something really wrong.

If you can identify which pullet it is you can give her a calcium pill. It will not hurt her. I've never done that but supposedly if you put it in her mouth she will swallow it.

It is not unusual for a hen that has been laying a perfect egg to have an oops and lay a weird egg. If it is a one time or extremely rare thing I don't worry about it, I figure we all deserve an oops every now and then. But if it becomes regular, get back with us. The hen has a problem.

Sometimes they spit it out. It took me a number of times before one of our hens, finally swallowed it.

 

[Susan Skylark]

An occasional soft shell egg from pulleys is also normal, if it is happening daily then you definitely need more calcium but once or twice in the first too months is no big deal.

 

[AODonnell]

An occasional soft shell egg from pulleys is also normal, if it is happening daily then you definitely need more calcium but once or twice in the first too months is no big deal.

Thank you!